Postal Markets and Electronic Substitution: Implications for Regulatory Practices and Institutions in Europe

There is an increasing convergence between postal products and telecom applications which suggests the need for a co-evolution of regulation. But there is hardly any discussion in academia or in practice about the consequences for regulation. Relevant questions are: Which parts of current regulation will become redundant? Is there additional regulation needed due to new bottlenecks or changes in consumer behavior? In our qualitative analysis, we investigate the implications of intermodal competition and growing convergence between postal and telecommunications services on regulatory institutions and regimes. We set up a comparison between the networks and compare the scope of universal services and issues concerning market power regulation in the two different industries.Convergence, Regulation, Post, Telecommunication, Universal service obligation, Access

ITC SOLUTIONS TO ACHIEVE PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY OF HEALTH SERVICES:ONLINE VIRTUAL CLINIC

The digital era modified the way people work, how the information and the informational resources are defined and organized. The organization which holds, uses and correctly reproduces the piece of information, the knowledge, the intellectual capital, becomes a leader in the proper field of activity. Following the actual tendencies in the digital era connected to the exchange of professional information, I can say that the exchange and sharing of digital information in a global multitude of interconnected computers are essential instruments that can contribute to the development and consolidation of the intellectual potential of the organization. This is why, the access of the individuals to information is an actual requirement of the development of the Romanian society in the context of globalization and world implication o contemporary processes and phenomena. The Digital integration eliminates the barriers that traditionally suppress the circuit of the medical information, lets the goods and services circulate to and from Romania by promoting efficiency as final purpose. Performance is needed in the health system, the transformation of the system of medical services by bringing the benefits of the medical science and technology to all individuals from every community. In order to accomplish these expectations it is needed that all the components that form the health system look at it as a whole and subscribe to modern solutions for improvement so that the quality of health should raise to an unprecedented level. Even if health systems differ from country to country from the organizational and financial point of view, they face the same challenges and problems, respectively the supply of medical care of better quality and keeping under control the health expenses. The use of information and communication technology in the field of medical assistance in order to stock, share, transmit and analyze clinical data and knowledge is more necessary than ever.Internet, communication in real time, health system, medical information system, digital integration, virtual medical assistance, virtual clinic, shared medical information

The Tourism Observatory of Alentejo: a support instrument for foresight and strategic planning in the Tourist Sector in the region.

It is the aim of this work to make a brief reference to the current situation of 'observatories' in Portugal as well as the change of their status, before developed through closed research circuits which included the Administration and Universities; nowadays characterized by the proliferation of more flexible and interactive structures very often as a result of private initiatives or public-private partnerships. We are also going to make a mention of two regional tourism observatories in Portugal - Lisbon and Azores - already established. Finally, it offers an overview of the new Tourism Observatory of Alentejo (presented in July 14th, 2010) as a result of a submission to an Incentive Scheme for Class Actions Program (SIAC) – InAlentejo, which the main promoter is Alentejo Tourism, ERT, in partnership with the Polytechnics Institutes of Beja and Portalegre, the University of Évora and the regional business associations.

Infrastructure networks and the competitiveness of the economy

This paper aims to examine how technical infrastructure networks may contribute to improving the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy. Consequently, our main question will be to establish how certain networks or sectors can promote competitiveness of the entire economy rather than how they could be more competitive in their own field. In the macroeconomic or regional sense competitiveness is interpreted as the entirety of safeguards and preconditions that provide a long term basis for success in a competitive market environment. The review of the economic, social, institutional and facility preconditions of competitiveness has highlighted that practically every component must be backed by a good system of relations: both strong, balanced internal relations promoting co-operation and external relations to assure outward linkages. Despite the above correlation, it would be a fallacy to assume that infrastructure networks as linking elements in general are factors per se improving competitiveness. In accordance with the level of development of the economy, the key forms of activity and the realistically attainable objectives, different linkages and service needs become key for the development of the economy in different stages

Innovate Manufacturing SMEs in the Context of Industry 4.0: A Formal Approach

A few years ago, the “Industry 4.0” programs have been launched in several European countries and USA to support the development and the innovation of SMEs. The common goal of these programs is to innovate SMEs in terms of automation (of machines), integration (of lines), and interconnection (of the production system with its management). For SMEs, it would be a great opportunity. However, SME managers (who usually are at the same time, owners, operations managers, and technicians) face great difficulties in accessing funding from an “Industry 4.0” plan, due to lack of information and limits on their knowledge of new information technologies. This chapter aims at guiding a manager/technician toward the opportunities offered by “Industry 4.0” by presenting some formal models on which managers can base their decisions of innovating their SMEs

The Socio-economic Impact of Social Computing: Proceedings of a Validation and Policy Options Workshop

This report presents the major outcomes of a validation and policy options workshop on social computing, held at IPTS in Seville, on 26-27 February 2008. It points to a number of relevant issues (including methodological and conceptual ones) that need to be taken into account in a study of the socio-economic impacts of social computing. It argues that there is little room for direct policy interventions in social computing but that framework conditions and impacts at sector-level (e.g. education, government) need to be considered. The report also discusses the future of social computing and the opportunities it offers Europe.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Painting the ideal home: using art to express visions of technologically supported independent living for older people in North East England

This paper describes the investigation of the development of future technological products to support older people in everyday living through the agency of a community art group. Recent research has identified a number of challenges facing designers seeking to use traditional participatory design approaches to gather technology requirements data from older people. Here, a project is described that sought to get a group of older people to think creatively about their needs and desires for technological support through the medium of paint. The artistic expression technique described in this article allowed the identification of issues that had also been found by previous research that used a range of different techniques. This indicates that the approach shows promise, as it allows information to be gathered in an environment that is comfortable and familiar using methods already known by the participants and which they find enjoyable. It provides a complement (or possible alternative) to standard protocols and has the potential benefit of extracting even richer information as the primary task for participants is enjoyable in its own right and is not associated with an interrogative process. Furthermore, it is argued that some of the key risks of traditional approaches are lessened or removed by the naturalistic setting of this approach

Users’ Views Regarding Electronic Prescribing Implementation: A Qualitative Case Study in A Private Hospital of Magelang City, Indonesia

The use of the Internet and digital system in a hospital named the Hospital Information System (HIS) has grown rapidly and remarkably, including in Indonesia. One of the HIS components is electronic prescribing (e-prescribing). Although the Indonesian government has mandated HIS in hospitals since 2011, successful implementation is not without challenges. Therefore, this study aimed to explore users' views regarding e-prescribing implementation through a case study in a private hospital in Magelang City, Indonesia. This study applied a qualitative approach. Participants were e-prescribing users who were selected purposively. Data were gathered using interviews. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) model was used to structure the interview guideline. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic approach. Twenty participants were interviewed. Five themes emerged through the interviews: self-reflection, perceived advantages, policy, capacity building, and quality assurance. The themes express optimism in implementing e-prescribing. Users are central to e-prescribing system acceptance, as is explained in the self-reflection and perceived advantages themes. Furthermore, top management plays a pivotal role in improving the capacity and ensuring system implementation quality. This study’s findings imply that the user, system, and organization play crucial roles in enhancing health care service quality through e-prescribing